Highest time usually would day boredom today were at South Park skating rink ended
ice skating season it is time we have
a new coating of snow this morning but finally the weather has cooperated to get
some outdoor ice going and we're happy to let the public know that we do have
skating opportunities now at the New South Park Carolyn period rink and then up at
the athletic field and for
a while read we did not have outdoor skating rinks right now we always had at least
a rink at the athletic field but South Park in the other neighborhood rinks have
been closed for about eight years due to
a private donation the gift to the city of Reading from the periods family Jim
period in honor of his sister Carol and he's made
a gift back to the city and so for three years he's funding our reopening South
Park rink and we're very appreciative of that is an expensive proposition to get
a rink going I would just think you get the whole of out and water on the floor and
know where you go it is expensive and the reason the rinks were close eight years
ago was due to financial the situation at the city cutting back on expenses and
cutting back on park employees things like that especially so does take manpower to
do it we've been waiting for the weather to get cold Finally after that Christmas
holiday it started where we could flood the rink it takes ten to twenty floods to
kind of get enough ice to get started plus just prepping the grounds before that
and now clearing snow things like that so it is time consuming but we're very
appreciative great outdoor recreational opportunity for our residents again still
and how many days a week are the Rings open they're open seven days
a week are ours are four to eight on Mondays through Fridays and then one to eight
clock on weekends or school holidays and typically the weather stays cold through
February this year we had a later start so we can spread our budget out
a little longer we do have
a budget for manning the warming houses once that money is used up sometimes that
causes us to close the warming House also and is that of those the hours that the
actual rinks are open or just
a warming out as can we. I'm here and skated two o'clock in the morning if we want
to correct there won't be any lights here but the warming houses and the lights
would be turned on when the warming houses are manned So those are four to eight
week days one to eight on weekends so if you're all hearty you can come on here
it's great when the warm and always aren't going yes and we do see that I mean
there's
a we do see the people mornings if the residents had maybe retired or work
shifts or whatever and then even before the warming house opens
a lot of times rinks are busy with kids skating as they got off the school bus here
at the South Park location is
a school bus drop off I think that's helped also with our initial numbers here is
we're just opening look really great at South Park and you have skate around no
rental there yet free to use. Skates started ten or twelve years ago with all
warming house down at the cobble school area the gentleman that was the long time
warming house attendant started putting out requests on party line and whatnot for
donations for skates started collecting those and lo and behold we have
a free skates really to use at the rings both at the athletic field and at South
Park also right else Gateshead rink that went out of business in the southern part
of the country and got some returns rental skates back and some of the bronze
skates you see behind us here are actual right rental skates from some years ago so
and lots of kids come in today and back in our days I think we all owned
a pair of skates and today I don't think you see that as much so these skates you
see on the wall are well used and I'll just put out
a plea if anyone does have skates that they're looking to donate you can contact me
a community reckon we'll get them back out to the rink for kids to use it does not
smell like wood smoke and here it's been
a long time since I was in the South Park warming but I used to smell it would stop
when you put your mittens on the stove or they were all full of snow and you put on
there to go it's you know we talked a little bit before time about that in we had
a grand opening which Imperius who lives in the Washington D.C.
Area flew by. Back and had
a grand opening Unfortunately this year the weather didn't cooperate we had no ice
to show off. About summer twentieth date that we were back here but everybody that
was here for that. And reception did talk about the whole warming How's the wood
smoke and the wood stove and drying mittens and just coming in wet and cold and
burning mittens was
a yeah but we all survived it and those are great memories and today the warming
houses at both the athletic field and South Park are great condition this is
a nice brick building and they have bathroom facilities here there's picnic tables
in that people sit on
a bench is around the walls so they're very nice facilities nice place to hang out
thanks Dave the place you have to thank you you can monitor South Park Ranger
athletic field is another one there I'm Tom Hughes thanks for watching Redwings
Channel six.